November 30
As much as we delight in the stories of God’s working among His ancient people the Israelites and as much as we are awed by the commitment of the Apostles to take the gospel of Christ to the known world of their day, yet we are most blessed when we contemplate the Lord’s touch upon our own lives. Having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the richest, most fulfilling aspect of being alive.
We are awed by His faithfulness. We are humbled by His mercy and grace. We know first-hand the veracity of the Word that tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8, for we have experienced His steadfast presence in our own lives.
We know our frame. We know we can be trying—even to other people, let alone to the One who came to earth as the Perfect Man whose sinless life sets us free from the penalty of sin that we incurred to ourselves. We know He has the power to banish us from His presence eternally; we know our sin would justify His abandonment of us to our own wayward proclivity, but He elects to hold fast to us, to be true to His promise, “I will never fail you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6.
So we bow before Him, we surrender our today and our tomorrows to Him. We commit ourselves to serving Jesus all our days and to sharing our knowledge of Him with others. It is our goal to be part of His ‘team.’ Our desire is to go where He leads and speak His truth to all nations and tribes, even as He has admonished that we do, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
Why would we sacrifice ‘self’ in order to promote His Kingdom? Because we can proclaim as did the Psalmist in 139:14, “I will praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know this very well.” We cannot deny His goodness to us; we cannot dismiss His ever-present watch care over us, so everything within us yearns to serve Him. All our being longs to share His glory with those who know Him not so He may illumine the darkness, so He may transform night to radiant day.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Our Citizenship
November 29
We live in an expansive country that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Although a commercial airliner can traverse the land in a matter of three hours, the journey of the pioneers who originally explored and settled this nation required months of arduous travel. Why did they do it?
What motivated them to brave the cold, the deprivation, the attack of unfriendly tribes who saw them as intruders who’d come to steal their land? There were many motivating factors—some negative, some positive—from a desire to tap into the wealth of the land to a yearning to share Christ with native Americans.
One undeniable reason held by many who bore great hardship to help expand the borders of this nation was national pride—a great love of America. There were people who left their homelands to become citizens of this country who eagerly embraced their adoptive country and all she stands for. Their sons fought and died in several wars for her and the freedom she extends to those who cherish liberty.
The Jewish people, too, have a deep love for the land God has given to them. It began with Joseph, who, when he was expelled from his country by his brothers who sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:27) received the blessing of his father prior to his death that would bring him back to the land of his birth.
Joseph had been sold from his homeland but elevated in Egypt, yet he embraced the prayer of his father in Genesis 48:21, “Look! I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.” We might think he’d prefer to remain in the land where he’d been made second in command, with Pharaoh receiving all his counsel, but he yearned after his homeland.
We who are followers of Jesus, no matter our national heritage, no matter from what nation our ancestors came forth, no matter our financial or political status, all yearn for our heavenly home. As the Word tells us, we are “strangers and sojourners” I Chronicles 29:15 on earth, and as such, we know our time here is brief and we do not cling to it.
For when we have received Jesus as Savior and King, we have a new citizenship! As Paul said in Ephesians 2:19, “We are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." We finally have a permanent home, and it is in Heaven with the Savior who conquered death so we might dwell eternally with Him.
We live in an expansive country that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Although a commercial airliner can traverse the land in a matter of three hours, the journey of the pioneers who originally explored and settled this nation required months of arduous travel. Why did they do it?
What motivated them to brave the cold, the deprivation, the attack of unfriendly tribes who saw them as intruders who’d come to steal their land? There were many motivating factors—some negative, some positive—from a desire to tap into the wealth of the land to a yearning to share Christ with native Americans.
One undeniable reason held by many who bore great hardship to help expand the borders of this nation was national pride—a great love of America. There were people who left their homelands to become citizens of this country who eagerly embraced their adoptive country and all she stands for. Their sons fought and died in several wars for her and the freedom she extends to those who cherish liberty.
The Jewish people, too, have a deep love for the land God has given to them. It began with Joseph, who, when he was expelled from his country by his brothers who sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:27) received the blessing of his father prior to his death that would bring him back to the land of his birth.
Joseph had been sold from his homeland but elevated in Egypt, yet he embraced the prayer of his father in Genesis 48:21, “Look! I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.” We might think he’d prefer to remain in the land where he’d been made second in command, with Pharaoh receiving all his counsel, but he yearned after his homeland.
We who are followers of Jesus, no matter our national heritage, no matter from what nation our ancestors came forth, no matter our financial or political status, all yearn for our heavenly home. As the Word tells us, we are “strangers and sojourners” I Chronicles 29:15 on earth, and as such, we know our time here is brief and we do not cling to it.
For when we have received Jesus as Savior and King, we have a new citizenship! As Paul said in Ephesians 2:19, “We are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." We finally have a permanent home, and it is in Heaven with the Savior who conquered death so we might dwell eternally with Him.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 28
Thoughts for Thanksgiving
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Through all the challenges of life, may we employ Psalm 34:1—His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Two words go hand-in-hand in the Bible. The one we’re thinking about today, “THANKSGIVING,” is inextricably tied to “PRAISE” in God’s Holy Word. We who love the Lord understand that we are to “Thank and praise Him in all things.” ( I Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20.)
We do so out of hearts that love Him and recognize the fullness of His goodness and mercy to us. We do so because we know that apart from the sacrifice of Jesus for us we are bound for an abysmal eternity. We also do so because we know “God inhabits the praise of His people,” Psalm 22:3.
It might be interesting to consider the psalm in context:
Psalm 22 New International Version A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises! You inhabit the praise of Your people![c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
As so often with the writings of David, the great wordsmith begins with a lament. His circumstances have weighed him down. He feels hopeless. Then, he begins to factor in the wonder and majesty of God and his writing does an ‘about face’! Verse 22, where David begins to praise the Lord and to recount His mercy is the pivot point of the psalm where David literally turns on his heel from despair to fervency of commitment and optimism!
The conclusion we can draw from this is that our praise of and thanksgiving to God are important not only because HE IS WORTHY and deserves all our thanks and praise but because there is a benefit accrued to us when we choose to focus not upon the negativity of our circumstances but upon the faithfulness, the worthiness, the transformative power of our God!
A wonderful book, POWER IN PRAISE by Merlin Carothers, was published about 40 years ago. In it, Carothers, a military chaplain at Fort Benning, Georgia, recounts numerous vignettes where the military people to whom he is ministering come to him with terrible circumstances that they are unable to overcome—or to pray through.
Chaplain Carothers applies David’s tactic to their situations—he tells them to thank and praise God for their circumstances. Invariably, these burdened and weary people stomp out of his office, fully convinced that he has a hole in his head.
Invariably, they reconsider, applying Carothers’ logic, “You’ve tried everything else, why not try this?” The good chaplain stresses the reality that the overcoming of the problem is not contingent upon the believer being ‘good enough,’ nor does it require the believer to ‘do anything.’ Why? Because it’s all based on the goodness Christ purchased for us at Calvary, not ours; and it’s all based on what He’s done, not what we can do!
A couple of examples of the Psalm 22 principle at work are these:
A young woman had been committed to a mental institution for the hopelessly insane. Her parents had prayed fervently to no avail when they were counseled by Chaplain Carothers to praise and thank God for her condition. Ultimately, in spite of originally thinking his counsel to be blasphemous, they followed his advice. The next morning, they received a phone call from the hospital telling them there had been a remarkable change in their daughter. Within two weeks, she was released, whole and well, from the hospital.
A second example touched me profoundly enough to remember it through the forty years since I first read the book. A military mother came to him with the sad tale of her daughter who had fallen away from the faith in which she had been raised. Her husband was deployed, so he could not partner with her in prayer about their daughter who had become a topless ‘go-go dancer’ in a notorious nightclub. Typically, the mother stormed out when Chaplain Carothers counseled her to thank and praise God for her daughter’s job choice. Ultimately, she took his advice because she had indeed tried everything else. That day, a young man went into the bar and slipped something into the cage where the daughter was dancing. She thought it was money—lots of guys slipped money into her cage. When her shift was over she picked it up along with the cash and discovered it was a Bible tract. She left the nightclub and never went back. She turned back to Christ—and since this was written over forty years ago, we can presume she is today someone’s godly grandmother.
Returning to Psalm 22…did you notice as we read it that it is a prophecy of the death of Jesus at the hands of the Roman ‘gentile dogs’? Go back and read it again to see how specific it is to the crucifixion of Jesus. Consider that it was written a thousand years before Jesus was cruelly tortured by this method of execution that the Romans had not even yet devised at the time of its writing!
The Lord led David to praise in the midst of the horrific details of the crucifixion—and that event of pain and ignominy and scorn and torture and death became the springboard for the most glorious event in the history of mankind! It became the springboard for the RESURRECTION OF JESUS FROM THE DEAD!
Do you suppose God is perhaps attempting to tell us something today about the power of thanksgiving and praise? Do you suppose we might see His amazing provision of our needs if we will but thank and praise Jesus in the midst of our trials?
Can we employ this wondrous principle to our circumstances NOW? Will YOU try it?
Thoughts for Thanksgiving
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Through all the challenges of life, may we employ Psalm 34:1—His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Two words go hand-in-hand in the Bible. The one we’re thinking about today, “THANKSGIVING,” is inextricably tied to “PRAISE” in God’s Holy Word. We who love the Lord understand that we are to “Thank and praise Him in all things.” ( I Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20.)
We do so out of hearts that love Him and recognize the fullness of His goodness and mercy to us. We do so because we know that apart from the sacrifice of Jesus for us we are bound for an abysmal eternity. We also do so because we know “God inhabits the praise of His people,” Psalm 22:3.
It might be interesting to consider the psalm in context:
Psalm 22 New International Version A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises! You inhabit the praise of Your people![c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
As so often with the writings of David, the great wordsmith begins with a lament. His circumstances have weighed him down. He feels hopeless. Then, he begins to factor in the wonder and majesty of God and his writing does an ‘about face’! Verse 22, where David begins to praise the Lord and to recount His mercy is the pivot point of the psalm where David literally turns on his heel from despair to fervency of commitment and optimism!
The conclusion we can draw from this is that our praise of and thanksgiving to God are important not only because HE IS WORTHY and deserves all our thanks and praise but because there is a benefit accrued to us when we choose to focus not upon the negativity of our circumstances but upon the faithfulness, the worthiness, the transformative power of our God!
A wonderful book, POWER IN PRAISE by Merlin Carothers, was published about 40 years ago. In it, Carothers, a military chaplain at Fort Benning, Georgia, recounts numerous vignettes where the military people to whom he is ministering come to him with terrible circumstances that they are unable to overcome—or to pray through.
Chaplain Carothers applies David’s tactic to their situations—he tells them to thank and praise God for their circumstances. Invariably, these burdened and weary people stomp out of his office, fully convinced that he has a hole in his head.
Invariably, they reconsider, applying Carothers’ logic, “You’ve tried everything else, why not try this?” The good chaplain stresses the reality that the overcoming of the problem is not contingent upon the believer being ‘good enough,’ nor does it require the believer to ‘do anything.’ Why? Because it’s all based on the goodness Christ purchased for us at Calvary, not ours; and it’s all based on what He’s done, not what we can do!
A couple of examples of the Psalm 22 principle at work are these:
A young woman had been committed to a mental institution for the hopelessly insane. Her parents had prayed fervently to no avail when they were counseled by Chaplain Carothers to praise and thank God for her condition. Ultimately, in spite of originally thinking his counsel to be blasphemous, they followed his advice. The next morning, they received a phone call from the hospital telling them there had been a remarkable change in their daughter. Within two weeks, she was released, whole and well, from the hospital.
A second example touched me profoundly enough to remember it through the forty years since I first read the book. A military mother came to him with the sad tale of her daughter who had fallen away from the faith in which she had been raised. Her husband was deployed, so he could not partner with her in prayer about their daughter who had become a topless ‘go-go dancer’ in a notorious nightclub. Typically, the mother stormed out when Chaplain Carothers counseled her to thank and praise God for her daughter’s job choice. Ultimately, she took his advice because she had indeed tried everything else. That day, a young man went into the bar and slipped something into the cage where the daughter was dancing. She thought it was money—lots of guys slipped money into her cage. When her shift was over she picked it up along with the cash and discovered it was a Bible tract. She left the nightclub and never went back. She turned back to Christ—and since this was written over forty years ago, we can presume she is today someone’s godly grandmother.
Returning to Psalm 22…did you notice as we read it that it is a prophecy of the death of Jesus at the hands of the Roman ‘gentile dogs’? Go back and read it again to see how specific it is to the crucifixion of Jesus. Consider that it was written a thousand years before Jesus was cruelly tortured by this method of execution that the Romans had not even yet devised at the time of its writing!
The Lord led David to praise in the midst of the horrific details of the crucifixion—and that event of pain and ignominy and scorn and torture and death became the springboard for the most glorious event in the history of mankind! It became the springboard for the RESURRECTION OF JESUS FROM THE DEAD!
Do you suppose God is perhaps attempting to tell us something today about the power of thanksgiving and praise? Do you suppose we might see His amazing provision of our needs if we will but thank and praise Jesus in the midst of our trials?
Can we employ this wondrous principle to our circumstances NOW? Will YOU try it?
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
No Greater Blessing
November 27
In Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon, the wisest mere mortal who ever lived said, “Fear (reverence) God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” In Matthew 22:38 and 39, Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Do we? To what degree do we see the evidence of man’s adherence to these admonitions?
The outcome of following these Biblical imperatives is essentially, twofold. If we follow the Word in this regard we shall have wonderful relationships in life. We will, firstly, “esteem others above ourselves,” as Paul admonished the Philippians in Chapter 2, verse 3, and we will abound in love.
Further, beyond the brief span of time that is allotted to us in this tabernacle of flesh, we shall, because we embrace Jesus as our Savior and allow His Word to govern us, be co heirs with Him of the unimaginable eternal glory that God has prepared for those who love Him (I Corinthians 2:9).
Like Enoch, a devout man who loved God in the midst of perversity, we shall, “…walk with God” (through life) and slip into eternity with Him at the close of our days (Genesis 5:22-24).
There is no greater blessing than to reverence God and to take Him at His word by placing our hand into that of Jesus and allowing Him to love others through us as He leads us through the years of life’s journey—all the way to our eternal home.
In Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon, the wisest mere mortal who ever lived said, “Fear (reverence) God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” In Matthew 22:38 and 39, Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Do we? To what degree do we see the evidence of man’s adherence to these admonitions?
The outcome of following these Biblical imperatives is essentially, twofold. If we follow the Word in this regard we shall have wonderful relationships in life. We will, firstly, “esteem others above ourselves,” as Paul admonished the Philippians in Chapter 2, verse 3, and we will abound in love.
Further, beyond the brief span of time that is allotted to us in this tabernacle of flesh, we shall, because we embrace Jesus as our Savior and allow His Word to govern us, be co heirs with Him of the unimaginable eternal glory that God has prepared for those who love Him (I Corinthians 2:9).
Like Enoch, a devout man who loved God in the midst of perversity, we shall, “…walk with God” (through life) and slip into eternity with Him at the close of our days (Genesis 5:22-24).
There is no greater blessing than to reverence God and to take Him at His word by placing our hand into that of Jesus and allowing Him to love others through us as He leads us through the years of life’s journey—all the way to our eternal home.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Heirs of Heaven
November 26
Cain and Abel were polar opposites. Cain was a man of the world. A man who believed in himself and what he could accomplish. When he laid the fruit of his labor before God, he expected God to be impressed –and satisfied. God was not (Genesis, Chapter 4).
Many of us are sufficiently like him that our thoughts rarely turn to God. We are quite content with our own abilities to navigate through life and we fully expect that God, if He exists, will be pleased enough with us at our life’s end to allow us whatever reward eternity holds.
When Cain’s brother Abel brought a blood offering before God and God accepted it, Cain was overwhelmed with anger and slew his brother. Cain did not understand that it is only by the shedding of blood that there can be remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22).
Again, the parallel between our first siblings and ourselves is remarkable. When our confidence in ourselves is compromised by our brothers’ successes, we are indignant, we are upset, we are infuriated that another’s efforts have been rewarded while ours go unrecognized and unrewarded.
Man thinks himself sophisticated today, beyond the need of superstition or religion. He sees himself beyond the time when these concepts played a significant role in how people lived their lives. Man is sure that his time on earth is significant because he thinks himself to be significant. He needs no reliance upon a Holy God who requires him to receive the salvation of Christ.
In one way, modern man is correct. Though the blood of lambs was required to cover man’s sin through the centuries prior to the coming of Christ, when Jesus bore the stripes on His back and the crown of thorns on His sinless head; when He endured the nails in His hands and feet; when the Roman soldier’s spear pierced His side, He cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). And it was indeed finished. Never again will a spotless lamb need to be sacrificed in order to lift the burden of man’s sin.
Paul stated in Hebrews 12:24, “Jesus (is) Mediator of a new covenant and (His) sprinkled blood says better things than the blood of Abel.” Abel sacrificed the spotless lamb to cover his sin and his own blood was spilled out of one man’s sin. Jesus’ blood was shed to cover the sins of all mankind—and when we receive Him as Savior, we are cleansed, we are covered, we are heirs of heaven.
Cain and Abel were polar opposites. Cain was a man of the world. A man who believed in himself and what he could accomplish. When he laid the fruit of his labor before God, he expected God to be impressed –and satisfied. God was not (Genesis, Chapter 4).
Many of us are sufficiently like him that our thoughts rarely turn to God. We are quite content with our own abilities to navigate through life and we fully expect that God, if He exists, will be pleased enough with us at our life’s end to allow us whatever reward eternity holds.
When Cain’s brother Abel brought a blood offering before God and God accepted it, Cain was overwhelmed with anger and slew his brother. Cain did not understand that it is only by the shedding of blood that there can be remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22).
Again, the parallel between our first siblings and ourselves is remarkable. When our confidence in ourselves is compromised by our brothers’ successes, we are indignant, we are upset, we are infuriated that another’s efforts have been rewarded while ours go unrecognized and unrewarded.
Man thinks himself sophisticated today, beyond the need of superstition or religion. He sees himself beyond the time when these concepts played a significant role in how people lived their lives. Man is sure that his time on earth is significant because he thinks himself to be significant. He needs no reliance upon a Holy God who requires him to receive the salvation of Christ.
In one way, modern man is correct. Though the blood of lambs was required to cover man’s sin through the centuries prior to the coming of Christ, when Jesus bore the stripes on His back and the crown of thorns on His sinless head; when He endured the nails in His hands and feet; when the Roman soldier’s spear pierced His side, He cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). And it was indeed finished. Never again will a spotless lamb need to be sacrificed in order to lift the burden of man’s sin.
Paul stated in Hebrews 12:24, “Jesus (is) Mediator of a new covenant and (His) sprinkled blood says better things than the blood of Abel.” Abel sacrificed the spotless lamb to cover his sin and his own blood was spilled out of one man’s sin. Jesus’ blood was shed to cover the sins of all mankind—and when we receive Him as Savior, we are cleansed, we are covered, we are heirs of heaven.
Monday, November 25, 2013
We Needn't Ponder
November 25
The sun comes up each morning in an amazing blaze of color across the eastern sky and sets in the west each evening with the same glorious display of vibrant beauty. The seeds that are planted in Spring burst forth to maturity in the sunshine and rain of Summer, producing an Autumn harvest of earth’s bounty.
Each day, each season has its wonders to behold as all nature attests to the exquisite imagination of the God who fashioned them. As David declares in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows His handiwork.”
Whether we love Him or not, whether we acknowledge His existence, the evidence around us abounds that an infinite mind has set about to produce a habitation of wonder and He who has fashioned it is of profound majesty. He has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, tongues to taste, hands to handle the fine works of art and sustenance that He has fashioned for us and He has given us the freedom to esteem them as we will.
Yet, there is more. If we allow Him to do so, He shall lavish us with not only the wonders of the natural world but also with the treasure trove of spiritual riches that He has provided for those who choose to believe—and who will appropriate them. He has said that He will meet our every need, according to the riches of all He owns (see Philippians 4:19).
What an amazing God we serve! In Judges 13:18 He asks, “Why do you ask My name…since it is wonderful!” In Malachi 3:10, He challenges us to prove the wonder of who He is! He invites us to, “Bring the tithe into the storehouse, and see if I will open the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that you cannot contain.”
When we obey Him, first by following Christ into salvation, then by employing the power of the gifts He has given to us, we will behold His glory! We needn’t ponder the majesty of God. We need only invite Jesus into our lives that we may see Him as He is.
The sun comes up each morning in an amazing blaze of color across the eastern sky and sets in the west each evening with the same glorious display of vibrant beauty. The seeds that are planted in Spring burst forth to maturity in the sunshine and rain of Summer, producing an Autumn harvest of earth’s bounty.
Each day, each season has its wonders to behold as all nature attests to the exquisite imagination of the God who fashioned them. As David declares in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows His handiwork.”
Whether we love Him or not, whether we acknowledge His existence, the evidence around us abounds that an infinite mind has set about to produce a habitation of wonder and He who has fashioned it is of profound majesty. He has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, tongues to taste, hands to handle the fine works of art and sustenance that He has fashioned for us and He has given us the freedom to esteem them as we will.
Yet, there is more. If we allow Him to do so, He shall lavish us with not only the wonders of the natural world but also with the treasure trove of spiritual riches that He has provided for those who choose to believe—and who will appropriate them. He has said that He will meet our every need, according to the riches of all He owns (see Philippians 4:19).
What an amazing God we serve! In Judges 13:18 He asks, “Why do you ask My name…since it is wonderful!” In Malachi 3:10, He challenges us to prove the wonder of who He is! He invites us to, “Bring the tithe into the storehouse, and see if I will open the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that you cannot contain.”
When we obey Him, first by following Christ into salvation, then by employing the power of the gifts He has given to us, we will behold His glory! We needn’t ponder the majesty of God. We need only invite Jesus into our lives that we may see Him as He is.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
November 24 Addendum
Just as a jeweler displays his finest diamonds against a backdrop of black velvet, so the Lord displays His strength, released through the exquisite faith of His finest jewels, against the dark background of their challenges and trials.
Trust the Master Jeweler...He will never fail you nor forsake you...Hebrews 13:5.
The Backdrop For His Glory
November 24
People of faith can become conflicted in their faith. Our desire is to be steadfast and firm in our resolve to be God’s people. We pronounce words of truth and profess to stand on the truth of the Word that we proclaim. But there are times in our walk that we falter, times when life’s storms cause us to cower in dread.
It is our desire to be steadfast, no matter what winds blow against us, but when we are caught in storms of adversity or persecution or sickness or betrayal or relational distress, storm can toss us to and fro. The result can be that we get off our course and into a whirlwind of despair.
We look to the psalmist, with whose words we can identify, and see a man whose heart is unwavering in faith but whose expectation can be compromised by the winds and torrents he is required to face. Like him, we can be tossed about in our resolve by the ebb and flow of life’s waves.
In Psalm 43:2 David says, “You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” While affirming the safety found in the Holy One, while acknowledging the refuge of the fortress of His love, yet the reality of the tumultuous waves overwhelms the believer who cries, “Why?” in his desperation.
Many of us have uttered that, “Why?” Our faith, too, has been shaken by the tempestuous storms of life. Yet, the Lord our God is faithful. He takes us safely through the storms. The storms reveal to us the intensity of the onslaught of the enemy we face, and the storms build our faith, as we recognize the great power of the Lord who takes us through the winds and waves to safety.
The winds and waves reveal to us that Jesus is indeed “our Rock and our Fortress and our Deliverer,” Psalm 18:2. The adversity we endure only serves as the backdrop for His glory, the opportunity for the Holy One to reveal His power in and through us (see II Corinthians 12:9.) He shows Himself strong at the point of our weakness.
People of faith can become conflicted in their faith. Our desire is to be steadfast and firm in our resolve to be God’s people. We pronounce words of truth and profess to stand on the truth of the Word that we proclaim. But there are times in our walk that we falter, times when life’s storms cause us to cower in dread.
It is our desire to be steadfast, no matter what winds blow against us, but when we are caught in storms of adversity or persecution or sickness or betrayal or relational distress, storm can toss us to and fro. The result can be that we get off our course and into a whirlwind of despair.
We look to the psalmist, with whose words we can identify, and see a man whose heart is unwavering in faith but whose expectation can be compromised by the winds and torrents he is required to face. Like him, we can be tossed about in our resolve by the ebb and flow of life’s waves.
In Psalm 43:2 David says, “You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” While affirming the safety found in the Holy One, while acknowledging the refuge of the fortress of His love, yet the reality of the tumultuous waves overwhelms the believer who cries, “Why?” in his desperation.
Many of us have uttered that, “Why?” Our faith, too, has been shaken by the tempestuous storms of life. Yet, the Lord our God is faithful. He takes us safely through the storms. The storms reveal to us the intensity of the onslaught of the enemy we face, and the storms build our faith, as we recognize the great power of the Lord who takes us through the winds and waves to safety.
The winds and waves reveal to us that Jesus is indeed “our Rock and our Fortress and our Deliverer,” Psalm 18:2. The adversity we endure only serves as the backdrop for His glory, the opportunity for the Holy One to reveal His power in and through us (see II Corinthians 12:9.) He shows Himself strong at the point of our weakness.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Enter the Joy of Thy Lord!
November 23
Who is Jesus? There are many answers to that question and to one degree or another, many of them are right. We could say that He was an itinerant preacher who never left the Galilean countryside where He grew up.
We could say He was a charismatic personality who drew people to Himself. He was a good man, a profound thinker, a man of sterling character—He never lied, stole or harmed anyone. Some say He embodied all that is noble in the human character.
Some may distort His personhood—claim that He may have done a few good things but that the ultimate assessment of Him requires that He be deemed a liar, for He claimed to be God in the flesh. A Christian writer has said that Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic—or—He is indeed, the LORD!
Revelation 1:17 shares the Apostle John’s vision of Jesus after His death and resurrection. This man who walked beside Him, who saw Him die, then fished with Him after He arose from the grave said, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His hand upon me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid.’” Like John, we will one day see Jesus in the glory of His Godhead.
It will either be our last view of Him before He points us toward the eternal pit as our rejection of Him as Savior requires or it will be our first glimpse of eternity with Him in Heaven.
May we be quick to receive Him as Lord and Savior today so we will, like John, hear Him say those wonderful words of comfort as He receives us eternally to Himself, “Don’t be afraid.”
We won’t be afraid because we will have known Him as our life-transforming Savior, as the Lord who called us to be like Him according to I Peter 1:16 which says, “Be ye holy for I the Lord your God am holy.”
Because Jesus has imparted His holiness to us and we have lived for Him, we will hear those beautiful words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” Matthew 25:21, 23.
Who is Jesus? There are many answers to that question and to one degree or another, many of them are right. We could say that He was an itinerant preacher who never left the Galilean countryside where He grew up.
We could say He was a charismatic personality who drew people to Himself. He was a good man, a profound thinker, a man of sterling character—He never lied, stole or harmed anyone. Some say He embodied all that is noble in the human character.
Some may distort His personhood—claim that He may have done a few good things but that the ultimate assessment of Him requires that He be deemed a liar, for He claimed to be God in the flesh. A Christian writer has said that Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic—or—He is indeed, the LORD!
Revelation 1:17 shares the Apostle John’s vision of Jesus after His death and resurrection. This man who walked beside Him, who saw Him die, then fished with Him after He arose from the grave said, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His hand upon me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid.’” Like John, we will one day see Jesus in the glory of His Godhead.
It will either be our last view of Him before He points us toward the eternal pit as our rejection of Him as Savior requires or it will be our first glimpse of eternity with Him in Heaven.
May we be quick to receive Him as Lord and Savior today so we will, like John, hear Him say those wonderful words of comfort as He receives us eternally to Himself, “Don’t be afraid.”
We won’t be afraid because we will have known Him as our life-transforming Savior, as the Lord who called us to be like Him according to I Peter 1:16 which says, “Be ye holy for I the Lord your God am holy.”
Because Jesus has imparted His holiness to us and we have lived for Him, we will hear those beautiful words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” Matthew 25:21, 23.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Fifty Years Ago
November 22
Please allow me to reflect a moment upon the fact that fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He was the leader of the free world and when he was slain before the nation's incredulous eyes, people were required to grasp a reality that had been largely hidden away in the remote corridors of their minds, “It is appointed to man once to die…” Hebrews 9:27.
We don’t want to think about death. We don’t want to confront the reality of our own mortality. We want to postpone the big decision about everlasting life and eternity to another season. Those who were young on that long-ago day are now old, and some are still postponing that confrontation with the reality that our time here is brief.
But the words of scripture ring in our ears and we know they’re true, “Now is the accepted time, behold today is the day of salvation,” II Corinthians 6:2. The youngest man who had ever held the office of president did not have the luxury of a priest by his side to encourage him to accept Christ as his Savior before he drew his final breath. The last rites of the Catholic Church were administered after the president had expired.
JFK had defied death before. He’d rescued other seamen in shark-infested water when their PT 109 sunk during WW II. He’d survived life-threatening disease. Who could have imagined he would be undone by an obscure, disgruntled former serviceman who just happened to be in the right place at the right time on that sunny afternoon in Dallas!
Lone gunman? Conspiracy theorists think not; it seemed even the weather conspired against Kennedy that fateful day. Had it not been a beautiful, bright, sunny day, the protective bubble top would have been over the presidential limousine. If Kennedy had not wanted to be more visible to the crowd, secret service men would have been standing protectively on the extended bumper of his vehicle.
They could have done their job of protecting him. Instead of just one of them, Clint Hill, becoming a human shield over him, there would have been several. But the circumstances are what they are. There was no protective bubble. Mr. Hill’s heroic effort failed to enable him to protect a living president but to shield a dead one from the scrutiny of incredulous onlookers.
The veracity of the Word—“NOW is the day of salvation,” and “It is appointed to man once to die,” confronts the living with the only truth that is everlasting, with the reality that life’s only eternal decision is what to do with Christ. Youth fades, wealth is bequeathed to another generation, power is assumed by yet one more politician eager to wield it; but Jesus Christ arose from the dead and reigns forever.
Today, fifty years after the death of a man whose life was suddenly snuffed out, may you, dear reader, make the decision to receive Jesus as your Savior so your life will never end but transition from the sphere of time to the sphere of heaven where you will live and reign forever with Him, II Timothy 2:12.
Please allow me to reflect a moment upon the fact that fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He was the leader of the free world and when he was slain before the nation's incredulous eyes, people were required to grasp a reality that had been largely hidden away in the remote corridors of their minds, “It is appointed to man once to die…” Hebrews 9:27.
We don’t want to think about death. We don’t want to confront the reality of our own mortality. We want to postpone the big decision about everlasting life and eternity to another season. Those who were young on that long-ago day are now old, and some are still postponing that confrontation with the reality that our time here is brief.
But the words of scripture ring in our ears and we know they’re true, “Now is the accepted time, behold today is the day of salvation,” II Corinthians 6:2. The youngest man who had ever held the office of president did not have the luxury of a priest by his side to encourage him to accept Christ as his Savior before he drew his final breath. The last rites of the Catholic Church were administered after the president had expired.
JFK had defied death before. He’d rescued other seamen in shark-infested water when their PT 109 sunk during WW II. He’d survived life-threatening disease. Who could have imagined he would be undone by an obscure, disgruntled former serviceman who just happened to be in the right place at the right time on that sunny afternoon in Dallas!
Lone gunman? Conspiracy theorists think not; it seemed even the weather conspired against Kennedy that fateful day. Had it not been a beautiful, bright, sunny day, the protective bubble top would have been over the presidential limousine. If Kennedy had not wanted to be more visible to the crowd, secret service men would have been standing protectively on the extended bumper of his vehicle.
They could have done their job of protecting him. Instead of just one of them, Clint Hill, becoming a human shield over him, there would have been several. But the circumstances are what they are. There was no protective bubble. Mr. Hill’s heroic effort failed to enable him to protect a living president but to shield a dead one from the scrutiny of incredulous onlookers.
The veracity of the Word—“NOW is the day of salvation,” and “It is appointed to man once to die,” confronts the living with the only truth that is everlasting, with the reality that life’s only eternal decision is what to do with Christ. Youth fades, wealth is bequeathed to another generation, power is assumed by yet one more politician eager to wield it; but Jesus Christ arose from the dead and reigns forever.
Today, fifty years after the death of a man whose life was suddenly snuffed out, may you, dear reader, make the decision to receive Jesus as your Savior so your life will never end but transition from the sphere of time to the sphere of heaven where you will live and reign forever with Him, II Timothy 2:12.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
What We Ponder
November 21
At times we think God is totally opposed to anything we do that smacks even slightly of ‘fun.’ Some people are convinced He disdains dancing and others even believe He opposes music. He seems to have a very rigid standard to which He holds us if we profess to believe in Him.
He also has a rigid code of conduct regarding our comportment of our personal and business as well as our spiritual lives. From engaging in illicit romantic activity to cheating on taxes, He holds our feet to the fire. He applies stringent constraints even to our thought life (see Matthew 5:28),
Another area in which we are admonished to be mindful regards the words that we utter. We enjoy a good joke. Slightly off-color humor is part and parcel of our TV watching fare and we hear at least a nuance of suggestive humor from the masters-of-ceremony of gatherings of almost every sort.
It’s inoffensive humor to all but the most straight-laced among us, but it’s not inoffensive to God. Many of us can personally attest to lapses into questionable comments that we might make in order to prove ourselves to be witty or to be ‘one of the guys’. We don’t want to seem prudish so we allow small compromises, ‘inconsequential indiscretions’ to enter our speech.
In II Timothy 2:16, the Apostle Paul writes to his spiritual son, “Avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness.” What seems to be a harmless utterance, according to Paul, has the potential of opening the floodgate of questionable communication. In order to be in God’s will, we must refrain from all naughtiness of not only action but also speech.
In James 3:10, the Apostle said, “From the same mouth proceed blessings and cursings; these things ought not to be. Can the same stream send forth water both bitter and sweet?” It is very clearly conveyed to us that He who is holy expects only honorable communication from the mouths of those who profess faith in Him.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” What we ponder will become what we say and what we do. How, then can we assure that the entirety of our lives will be pleasing to the Christ we love? Perhaps David sums it up best in Psalm 19:14 where he says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”
At times we think God is totally opposed to anything we do that smacks even slightly of ‘fun.’ Some people are convinced He disdains dancing and others even believe He opposes music. He seems to have a very rigid standard to which He holds us if we profess to believe in Him.
He also has a rigid code of conduct regarding our comportment of our personal and business as well as our spiritual lives. From engaging in illicit romantic activity to cheating on taxes, He holds our feet to the fire. He applies stringent constraints even to our thought life (see Matthew 5:28),
Another area in which we are admonished to be mindful regards the words that we utter. We enjoy a good joke. Slightly off-color humor is part and parcel of our TV watching fare and we hear at least a nuance of suggestive humor from the masters-of-ceremony of gatherings of almost every sort.
It’s inoffensive humor to all but the most straight-laced among us, but it’s not inoffensive to God. Many of us can personally attest to lapses into questionable comments that we might make in order to prove ourselves to be witty or to be ‘one of the guys’. We don’t want to seem prudish so we allow small compromises, ‘inconsequential indiscretions’ to enter our speech.
In II Timothy 2:16, the Apostle Paul writes to his spiritual son, “Avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness.” What seems to be a harmless utterance, according to Paul, has the potential of opening the floodgate of questionable communication. In order to be in God’s will, we must refrain from all naughtiness of not only action but also speech.
In James 3:10, the Apostle said, “From the same mouth proceed blessings and cursings; these things ought not to be. Can the same stream send forth water both bitter and sweet?” It is very clearly conveyed to us that He who is holy expects only honorable communication from the mouths of those who profess faith in Him.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” What we ponder will become what we say and what we do. How, then can we assure that the entirety of our lives will be pleasing to the Christ we love? Perhaps David sums it up best in Psalm 19:14 where he says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
From Disfunction to Wholeness
November 20
Jacob had a dysfunctional family. His children were the offspring of two mothers, one of whom was loved and the other who was not. The children of these women grew up with the shadow of their father’s inequity toward their mothers hanging over them. Many children today are under that same shadow.
The consequence of Jacob’s favoritism toward the child of his preferred wife had devastating ramifications. His older children hated their younger sibling because their father loved him best –and he made no secret of his preference. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers; their father was told that he was dead, so Jacob spent years mourning; he spent years without knowing his son was alive and thriving!
Jacob suffered deep anguish at the apparent loss of Joseph. He must have reflected many times upon the role he had played and the punishment that seemed to have been meted out against him by God for his unfairness to his older sons. But imagine His joy when he discovered that Joseph had not died! That he was alive and well and ruling Egypt! Imagine his recognition of the goodness of God when he realized that Joseph had forgiven all!
In Hebrews 11:21, we are given a snippet of the work of healing that the Lord did in Jacob’s dysfunctional family. Here, “By faith Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and he worshiped.” The son he had loved and lost was restored to him. He saw his grandchildren. He was given the privilege of seeing his entire family reconciled. We who have also made mistakes in child rearing, have the same God in Whom to hope for family healing.
Jacob had a dysfunctional family. His children were the offspring of two mothers, one of whom was loved and the other who was not. The children of these women grew up with the shadow of their father’s inequity toward their mothers hanging over them. Many children today are under that same shadow.
The consequence of Jacob’s favoritism toward the child of his preferred wife had devastating ramifications. His older children hated their younger sibling because their father loved him best –and he made no secret of his preference. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers; their father was told that he was dead, so Jacob spent years mourning; he spent years without knowing his son was alive and thriving!
Jacob suffered deep anguish at the apparent loss of Joseph. He must have reflected many times upon the role he had played and the punishment that seemed to have been meted out against him by God for his unfairness to his older sons. But imagine His joy when he discovered that Joseph had not died! That he was alive and well and ruling Egypt! Imagine his recognition of the goodness of God when he realized that Joseph had forgiven all!
In Hebrews 11:21, we are given a snippet of the work of healing that the Lord did in Jacob’s dysfunctional family. Here, “By faith Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and he worshiped.” The son he had loved and lost was restored to him. He saw his grandchildren. He was given the privilege of seeing his entire family reconciled. We who have also made mistakes in child rearing, have the same God in Whom to hope for family healing.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
You Have It All
November 19
We’ve all chuckled at the old joke, “You may be richer but my kids are better looking.” It’s our way of laughing at the discrepancies that exist among us and recognizing that though some may be favored in one area, life ‘balances out’ in the final analysis.
We know from reading the Word that our God and King prefers that we not endeavor to measure our lives against the lives of others. He prefers that we allow Him to decide who should possess the world’s wealth, who should sit in the seat of power. He says that when we compare our lot in life to that of others, we “are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12.
As the Word says, “The sun shines on the just and on the unjust. The rain falls on the just and on the unjust” Matthew 5:45. Though we may not always have things as we’d prefer them to be, we must acknowledge that ultimately, God is fair. His blessings to the children of men may seem inequitably distributed from our temporal vantage point but from His eternal perspective, there is no discrepancy at all.
The one area of human existence in which the reality of this truth is most significant is in the spiritual realm. All men need a Savior and Jesus has come to rescue every man who will allow Him to have Lordship of his life from the ravages of sin. It’s not just the smart, the attractive, the wealthy who may come.
We are told quite clearly, “Whosoever will may come and drink of the water of the River of Life freely,” Revelation 22:17. Revelation 14:6 says that there is no restriction imposed upon any “person of any nation, kindred or tribe or tongue,” for an “angel pours” the gospel of Christ upon them even at the hour of earth’s greatest tribulation.
People from every nation, kindred and tribe; from every social strata, are invited to Jesus. James 2:5 says, “Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom He has promised to those who love Him?”
We may not be wealthy by the standard of the earth, we may not hold the reins of power in our hands, but through Christ all men can become heirs of heaven, and because we are “co-heirs with Him,” Romans 8:17, we shall “judge angels,” I Corinthians 6:3. Is there any greater wealth, is there any more abounding power than this? Believer, YOU have it all!
We’ve all chuckled at the old joke, “You may be richer but my kids are better looking.” It’s our way of laughing at the discrepancies that exist among us and recognizing that though some may be favored in one area, life ‘balances out’ in the final analysis.
We know from reading the Word that our God and King prefers that we not endeavor to measure our lives against the lives of others. He prefers that we allow Him to decide who should possess the world’s wealth, who should sit in the seat of power. He says that when we compare our lot in life to that of others, we “are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12.
As the Word says, “The sun shines on the just and on the unjust. The rain falls on the just and on the unjust” Matthew 5:45. Though we may not always have things as we’d prefer them to be, we must acknowledge that ultimately, God is fair. His blessings to the children of men may seem inequitably distributed from our temporal vantage point but from His eternal perspective, there is no discrepancy at all.
The one area of human existence in which the reality of this truth is most significant is in the spiritual realm. All men need a Savior and Jesus has come to rescue every man who will allow Him to have Lordship of his life from the ravages of sin. It’s not just the smart, the attractive, the wealthy who may come.
We are told quite clearly, “Whosoever will may come and drink of the water of the River of Life freely,” Revelation 22:17. Revelation 14:6 says that there is no restriction imposed upon any “person of any nation, kindred or tribe or tongue,” for an “angel pours” the gospel of Christ upon them even at the hour of earth’s greatest tribulation.
People from every nation, kindred and tribe; from every social strata, are invited to Jesus. James 2:5 says, “Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom He has promised to those who love Him?”
We may not be wealthy by the standard of the earth, we may not hold the reins of power in our hands, but through Christ all men can become heirs of heaven, and because we are “co-heirs with Him,” Romans 8:17, we shall “judge angels,” I Corinthians 6:3. Is there any greater wealth, is there any more abounding power than this? Believer, YOU have it all!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Stand on the Word
November 18
Tumultuous times are forecast for the end of days. Biblical references flow through the pages of scripture that tell of the wars, pestilence, disease, and anarchy that will accompany man’s departure from the Word and his embrace of the world system that will overarch all areas of life prior to Jesus’ return.
What are we to do as believers when we see our government turn from its lofty foundation of faith in Nature’s God and the truth proclaimed in His holy Word the Bible? What are we to do as we see men’s hearts failing them for fear as the end of all things looms before us?
In Psalm 74:19-20, we are given an insight into the heart of God whose servant penned the words found here. The psalmist says, “Do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever. Consider the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of violence.”
When evil seems to be on the ascendancy, when faith and reason no longer seem to be in agreement in the earth, the man of faith must affirm the covenant he has made with the Holy One. Jesus has given Himself and the believer has placed his life at His feet. No matter what evil tidings befall, stand on the Word that cannot fail.
Tumultuous times are forecast for the end of days. Biblical references flow through the pages of scripture that tell of the wars, pestilence, disease, and anarchy that will accompany man’s departure from the Word and his embrace of the world system that will overarch all areas of life prior to Jesus’ return.
What are we to do as believers when we see our government turn from its lofty foundation of faith in Nature’s God and the truth proclaimed in His holy Word the Bible? What are we to do as we see men’s hearts failing them for fear as the end of all things looms before us?
In Psalm 74:19-20, we are given an insight into the heart of God whose servant penned the words found here. The psalmist says, “Do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever. Consider the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of violence.”
When evil seems to be on the ascendancy, when faith and reason no longer seem to be in agreement in the earth, the man of faith must affirm the covenant he has made with the Holy One. Jesus has given Himself and the believer has placed his life at His feet. No matter what evil tidings befall, stand on the Word that cannot fail.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
One Is Faithful and True
November 17
Disappointment abounds. Family, friends, lovers, governments have had their part in undermining the hope of virtually everyone who’s ever walked the earth. We set our expectations high--this one will be steadfast, will never let me down. New lovers and newly elected governmental officials are alike in transitioning from the 'ideal' to the 'ordinary.' At times they even morph into the 'worst.' As Jesus hung on the cross, even He cried out to His Father, “…Why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34)
Although we know God had to turn His back on Jesus at Calvary because He bore the sin mankind had committed through the eons of time and He therefore endured the separation from God that is our just punishment for that sin; and although Jesus knew God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13), yet at the moment He yearned most for the oneness He had with the Father (John 10:30), He had it not.
The abandonment of Jesus to the consequence of our sin was a one-time event. It was required that He be the sole bearer of God’s righteous requirement that sin be punished and He agreed to it when our Triune God took counsel with Himself and devised the plan of salvation before the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8). Although Jesus helped devise the plan, when the time came to implement the plan He said, "Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from Me," Matthew 26:39. But He knew there was no other way and He endured the cross--and the separation from the Father--for our sakes.
For the rest of us, there is no turning of the face of the Father from our need. Along with our death, Jesus took our abandonment. In Luke 18:7 we receive the words of assurance of His ever-present help: “Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? He will not delay His help to them.” We have been assured that Jesus "will never fail or forsake" (Hebrews 13:5) His people; we have been promised that we may, "Call unto Me and I will show you great and mighty things that you cannot imagine," Jeremiah 33:3.
We know we may stand upon these and so many other promises of His presence and power in our lives because, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall stand forever,' Matthew 24:35. The One who is ever faithful and true will ever be faithful and true to us.
Disappointment abounds. Family, friends, lovers, governments have had their part in undermining the hope of virtually everyone who’s ever walked the earth. We set our expectations high--this one will be steadfast, will never let me down. New lovers and newly elected governmental officials are alike in transitioning from the 'ideal' to the 'ordinary.' At times they even morph into the 'worst.' As Jesus hung on the cross, even He cried out to His Father, “…Why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34)
Although we know God had to turn His back on Jesus at Calvary because He bore the sin mankind had committed through the eons of time and He therefore endured the separation from God that is our just punishment for that sin; and although Jesus knew God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13), yet at the moment He yearned most for the oneness He had with the Father (John 10:30), He had it not.
The abandonment of Jesus to the consequence of our sin was a one-time event. It was required that He be the sole bearer of God’s righteous requirement that sin be punished and He agreed to it when our Triune God took counsel with Himself and devised the plan of salvation before the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8). Although Jesus helped devise the plan, when the time came to implement the plan He said, "Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from Me," Matthew 26:39. But He knew there was no other way and He endured the cross--and the separation from the Father--for our sakes.
For the rest of us, there is no turning of the face of the Father from our need. Along with our death, Jesus took our abandonment. In Luke 18:7 we receive the words of assurance of His ever-present help: “Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? He will not delay His help to them.” We have been assured that Jesus "will never fail or forsake" (Hebrews 13:5) His people; we have been promised that we may, "Call unto Me and I will show you great and mighty things that you cannot imagine," Jeremiah 33:3.
We know we may stand upon these and so many other promises of His presence and power in our lives because, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall stand forever,' Matthew 24:35. The One who is ever faithful and true will ever be faithful and true to us.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
The Price of Our Recalcitrance
November 16
Our Father God desires the best for His people in every area of life. We tend to count our blessings in the things we can touch, taste, spend. He does not. The Lord wants us to have sufficiency in all things, but He does not count ‘things’ as being our sufficiency.
In Isaiah 55:8, 9, He says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts; My ways are not your ways.” By extrapolation we may add to that, ‘My value system is not your value system.’ A casual survey of the condition of mankind evidences the fact that the Mighty One does not attach the same importance to abundance of temporal goods as does man.
If He did, why would He allow any believer to go to bed hungry? Why would the child of any person of faith be without a good education? Why would anyone who names the name that is above all names (see Philippians 2:8-11) lack an abundance of every good thing man covets? The Holy One certainly understands our needs and He certainly has the ability to supply them, but the order of the universe has been established and He rarely interferes with it.
But, why would revival not cover the earth and every lost, unbelieving soul be swept into the arc of safety before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives? The fact is that He has tasked believers with the responsibility of “going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
The fact that this is not happening is perhaps the reason Christ has not yet returned. We have been reticent to boldly proclaim Him. We fear persecution—whether that oppression takes the form of physical violence against us or mockery of our faith—so we are silent.
God wants to bless mankind with every good and perfect gift; He says in Nehemiah 9:20, “You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths.” God’s supply is complete, but man’s receptivity to it is sometimes negligible. Of us He says, “Ye have not because ye ask not,” Matthew 7:7.
When we fail to employ wisdom in our agricultural or business or governmental arenas, when we fail to ask wisdom of Him, He will not supersede our choices. When we turn our backs on temporal understanding or upon the truth of the eternal salvation He has provided through the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, John 1:29, He will not force acceptance upon us.
May we not harden our hearts against the understanding of how things work in time so we may be wise and fruitful and subdue the earth as He has admonished us in Genesis 1:28. May we hearken to “the Spirit and the Bride who say, ‘Come!’” Revelation 22:17. May we be among those who hear and say ‘Come!’ For there is a price to pay—in time and in eternity—for our recalcitrance.
Our Father God desires the best for His people in every area of life. We tend to count our blessings in the things we can touch, taste, spend. He does not. The Lord wants us to have sufficiency in all things, but He does not count ‘things’ as being our sufficiency.
In Isaiah 55:8, 9, He says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts; My ways are not your ways.” By extrapolation we may add to that, ‘My value system is not your value system.’ A casual survey of the condition of mankind evidences the fact that the Mighty One does not attach the same importance to abundance of temporal goods as does man.
If He did, why would He allow any believer to go to bed hungry? Why would the child of any person of faith be without a good education? Why would anyone who names the name that is above all names (see Philippians 2:8-11) lack an abundance of every good thing man covets? The Holy One certainly understands our needs and He certainly has the ability to supply them, but the order of the universe has been established and He rarely interferes with it.
But, why would revival not cover the earth and every lost, unbelieving soul be swept into the arc of safety before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives? The fact is that He has tasked believers with the responsibility of “going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
The fact that this is not happening is perhaps the reason Christ has not yet returned. We have been reticent to boldly proclaim Him. We fear persecution—whether that oppression takes the form of physical violence against us or mockery of our faith—so we are silent.
God wants to bless mankind with every good and perfect gift; He says in Nehemiah 9:20, “You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths.” God’s supply is complete, but man’s receptivity to it is sometimes negligible. Of us He says, “Ye have not because ye ask not,” Matthew 7:7.
When we fail to employ wisdom in our agricultural or business or governmental arenas, when we fail to ask wisdom of Him, He will not supersede our choices. When we turn our backs on temporal understanding or upon the truth of the eternal salvation He has provided through the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, John 1:29, He will not force acceptance upon us.
May we not harden our hearts against the understanding of how things work in time so we may be wise and fruitful and subdue the earth as He has admonished us in Genesis 1:28. May we hearken to “the Spirit and the Bride who say, ‘Come!’” Revelation 22:17. May we be among those who hear and say ‘Come!’ For there is a price to pay—in time and in eternity—for our recalcitrance.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Our Debt--Jesus Paid It All
November 15
The United States and the world are facing rough economic times. Greece has gone bankrupt, and the richest, most powerful nation that has ever existed just may follow close behind. Some government officials who value fiscal responsibility have stated they won’t be party to perpetuating an untenable debt but the current administration seems intent upon employing policies that exacerbate our economic woes.
In Luke 14:28, Jesus posed this timeless question to His followers: “Which of you, before building a tower, doesn’t first sit down to calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” The Lord’s clear meaning is that His people are not to ‘bite off more than they can chew’ when it comes to debt. His implied counsel is that we do not make ourselves debtors but that we manage our resources responsibly so that any expenditure we incur is one for which we have the funds to pay.
Yet, there is a deeper meaning in these words the Lord spoke to His disciples. Yes, we are to be responsible with our financial resources. Yes, we are to assure our ability to pay before we incur debt. No, we are not to leave others hanging with the consequences of our default. But there is a spiritual element to what Jesus said whose importance transcends that of any mere financial agreement to which we may enter.
Jesus always maintains His focus on the spiritual. He will never prioritize the temporal over the eternal. We, then, must weigh the consequences of our decisions in the light of eternity. Boiled down to its essence, what He is saying is, ‘Do not be focused on the matters of time. Be focused on the matters of eternity. Do not become rich in the things of the world at the expense of the spiritual treasure you must lay up in heaven. And do not be so bound by the debt of time that you squander the treasure of eternity.’
In Romans 13:8, the Apostle Paul is quite clear in reinforcing the Lord’s assertion that we should ‘pay as we go’ rather than to wallow in debt, for here Paul says, “Owe no man anything but to love.” The Christian is not to allow financial debt to weigh him down but he is to forever consider himself to be indebted to the purpose for which Christ came and died.
The Christian is to be forever committed to sharing the Lord’s love, which “never fails” I Corinthians 13:8, with those who know Him not, to allowing His love to be lavished upon those indebted to sin so they can be set free by the price Jesus paid for their release at Calvary. The “unspeakable gift” II Corinthians 9:15, that Jesus has given us to release us from our debt of sin must be lavished upon others through us as we, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
The United States and the world are facing rough economic times. Greece has gone bankrupt, and the richest, most powerful nation that has ever existed just may follow close behind. Some government officials who value fiscal responsibility have stated they won’t be party to perpetuating an untenable debt but the current administration seems intent upon employing policies that exacerbate our economic woes.
In Luke 14:28, Jesus posed this timeless question to His followers: “Which of you, before building a tower, doesn’t first sit down to calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” The Lord’s clear meaning is that His people are not to ‘bite off more than they can chew’ when it comes to debt. His implied counsel is that we do not make ourselves debtors but that we manage our resources responsibly so that any expenditure we incur is one for which we have the funds to pay.
Yet, there is a deeper meaning in these words the Lord spoke to His disciples. Yes, we are to be responsible with our financial resources. Yes, we are to assure our ability to pay before we incur debt. No, we are not to leave others hanging with the consequences of our default. But there is a spiritual element to what Jesus said whose importance transcends that of any mere financial agreement to which we may enter.
Jesus always maintains His focus on the spiritual. He will never prioritize the temporal over the eternal. We, then, must weigh the consequences of our decisions in the light of eternity. Boiled down to its essence, what He is saying is, ‘Do not be focused on the matters of time. Be focused on the matters of eternity. Do not become rich in the things of the world at the expense of the spiritual treasure you must lay up in heaven. And do not be so bound by the debt of time that you squander the treasure of eternity.’
In Romans 13:8, the Apostle Paul is quite clear in reinforcing the Lord’s assertion that we should ‘pay as we go’ rather than to wallow in debt, for here Paul says, “Owe no man anything but to love.” The Christian is not to allow financial debt to weigh him down but he is to forever consider himself to be indebted to the purpose for which Christ came and died.
The Christian is to be forever committed to sharing the Lord’s love, which “never fails” I Corinthians 13:8, with those who know Him not, to allowing His love to be lavished upon those indebted to sin so they can be set free by the price Jesus paid for their release at Calvary. The “unspeakable gift” II Corinthians 9:15, that Jesus has given us to release us from our debt of sin must be lavished upon others through us as we, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
That Word Is Jesus
November 14
One thing an unregenerate man cannot abide is the notion that apart from God he is nothing. That simply does not compute for the individual who thinks he is a self-made man. It is impossible for someone who thinks he’s in charge of his life to reconcile to himself the Lord’s assertion in John 15:5, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”
Instead of leaning upon our omnipotent God and taking comfort in the power He extends to man to gain wealth, to accrue knowledge, to discover the wonders of the universe, to simply draw his next breath, the denier of the Lord rather closes his eyes to the abounding evidence of God that is all around him.
Conversely, the individual who acknowledges the keeping and sustaining power of God, who leans upon Him, who abides in His mercy and grace, takes great comfort in the awareness that it is not his own strength, his own wisdom, or his own ability that assure his success in life’s endeavors.
In John 15:4, 5, the Lord makes the reality of man’s need for Him quite clear. He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the vine, neither can you, except you abide in Me.”
The person of faith builds the totality of his life upon the reality stated in Genesis 2:7, “The Lord God formed man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils.” Without Him, we are mere dust.
With Him, we have the God-infused breath of life coursing through us. That truth is our comfort in times of trial, our hope in times of despair, our reality in times of disillusionment! That truth will sustain us when the mountains crumble into the sea.
That truth will guard our faith when everything we trust has failed. How can a mere word transform the circumstances of our lives from hopelessness to faithful anticipation? It can because that Word is the Living Word! That Word is Jesus who can never fail! (Hebrews 13:5)
One thing an unregenerate man cannot abide is the notion that apart from God he is nothing. That simply does not compute for the individual who thinks he is a self-made man. It is impossible for someone who thinks he’s in charge of his life to reconcile to himself the Lord’s assertion in John 15:5, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”
Instead of leaning upon our omnipotent God and taking comfort in the power He extends to man to gain wealth, to accrue knowledge, to discover the wonders of the universe, to simply draw his next breath, the denier of the Lord rather closes his eyes to the abounding evidence of God that is all around him.
Conversely, the individual who acknowledges the keeping and sustaining power of God, who leans upon Him, who abides in His mercy and grace, takes great comfort in the awareness that it is not his own strength, his own wisdom, or his own ability that assure his success in life’s endeavors.
In John 15:4, 5, the Lord makes the reality of man’s need for Him quite clear. He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the vine, neither can you, except you abide in Me.”
The person of faith builds the totality of his life upon the reality stated in Genesis 2:7, “The Lord God formed man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils.” Without Him, we are mere dust.
With Him, we have the God-infused breath of life coursing through us. That truth is our comfort in times of trial, our hope in times of despair, our reality in times of disillusionment! That truth will sustain us when the mountains crumble into the sea.
That truth will guard our faith when everything we trust has failed. How can a mere word transform the circumstances of our lives from hopelessness to faithful anticipation? It can because that Word is the Living Word! That Word is Jesus who can never fail! (Hebrews 13:5)
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
No Place To Hide
November 13
Depending upon the status of our relationship with God or our lack thereof, it is very comforting or very disconcerting to know that He is totally aware of us – He sees our inner man and our external circumstances with utmost clarity. There is nothing about us that is hidden from Him.
This gives great comfort to the individual who yearns after the presence of God in his life and desires to see the manifestation of the power of the Holy One in all that regards his existence. To the one who is fleeing from God, living a life contrary to His will, this is either a worrisome notion or one that he’s dismissed, for he prefers to keep his deeds secret.
Yet, the omnipresence of God is a reality. Whether in the life of the believer who longs to be near Him or that of the scoffer who denies Him, He is an ever-present, all knowing entity. Psalm 139 conveys the reality of His presence. It sets forth an awesome array of the aspects of our glorious Lord’s attendant watch-care upon His people. There is an amazing truth in verses 7-10:
“Where can I flee from Your Spirit? If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost depths of the sea, even there shall Your hand lead me…” The conclusion of the passage in vs. 14, “…marvelous are Your works…” adds to our comfort—or to our disconcertion—in knowing that He sees us clearly and knows us fully!
Depending upon the status of our relationship with God or our lack thereof, it is very comforting or very disconcerting to know that He is totally aware of us – He sees our inner man and our external circumstances with utmost clarity. There is nothing about us that is hidden from Him.
This gives great comfort to the individual who yearns after the presence of God in his life and desires to see the manifestation of the power of the Holy One in all that regards his existence. To the one who is fleeing from God, living a life contrary to His will, this is either a worrisome notion or one that he’s dismissed, for he prefers to keep his deeds secret.
Yet, the omnipresence of God is a reality. Whether in the life of the believer who longs to be near Him or that of the scoffer who denies Him, He is an ever-present, all knowing entity. Psalm 139 conveys the reality of His presence. It sets forth an awesome array of the aspects of our glorious Lord’s attendant watch-care upon His people. There is an amazing truth in verses 7-10:
“Where can I flee from Your Spirit? If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost depths of the sea, even there shall Your hand lead me…” The conclusion of the passage in vs. 14, “…marvelous are Your works…” adds to our comfort—or to our disconcertion—in knowing that He sees us clearly and knows us fully!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
The Only Innocent Blood
November 12
There are myriad paths to destruction, but there is only one way to Heaven and that one way is Jesus. We have heard of the fervency of the religious pilgrim who is willing to crawl on his knees to the shrine of one of his many ‘gods,’ dragging his forehead along the ground to reach the object of his worship.
We know too well of the zealot who is willing to strap explosives to his body in order to kill and maim those unfortunate individuals whose beliefs do not embrace his own. In his misguided fervor, he sacrifices himself to the cause he believes in, confident he will find temporal pleasures in heaven for doing so.
We know of the sacrifices animists make to their false gods—casting their own children to crocodiles in order to satisfy the demands of the bloodthirsty deity they serve. We know the author of these cruel and godless practices is not the One who inhabits eternity but the evil entity who comes to “steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10.
We stand aghast at the demonic ideas that misguided souls are willing to impose upon those who do not share their belief system, that require the shedding of blood—their own and that of others. They affirm that for man in general to live, some man must bleed and die.
In just one belief system is it God who dies so man may live. Only JESUS’ blood can cover our sin. A pure and holy sacrifice was required to bridge the gulf between God and His fallen creation, and God Himself supplied that sacrifice.
Our Triune God spoke of the infallibility of His plan in Isaiah 45:18-19, where He said, “I am the Lord and there is no other…I, the Lord, speak truthfully. I say what is right.” No other plan works. No other god saves.
Only the plan set forth in the Throne Room of Heaven tells of “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth,” Revelation 13:8. Only that matchless plan can supply the Lord’s just requirement that the penalty for sin be paid with innocent blood, and the only innocent blood is the blood of Jesus.
There are myriad paths to destruction, but there is only one way to Heaven and that one way is Jesus. We have heard of the fervency of the religious pilgrim who is willing to crawl on his knees to the shrine of one of his many ‘gods,’ dragging his forehead along the ground to reach the object of his worship.
We know too well of the zealot who is willing to strap explosives to his body in order to kill and maim those unfortunate individuals whose beliefs do not embrace his own. In his misguided fervor, he sacrifices himself to the cause he believes in, confident he will find temporal pleasures in heaven for doing so.
We know of the sacrifices animists make to their false gods—casting their own children to crocodiles in order to satisfy the demands of the bloodthirsty deity they serve. We know the author of these cruel and godless practices is not the One who inhabits eternity but the evil entity who comes to “steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10.
We stand aghast at the demonic ideas that misguided souls are willing to impose upon those who do not share their belief system, that require the shedding of blood—their own and that of others. They affirm that for man in general to live, some man must bleed and die.
In just one belief system is it God who dies so man may live. Only JESUS’ blood can cover our sin. A pure and holy sacrifice was required to bridge the gulf between God and His fallen creation, and God Himself supplied that sacrifice.
Our Triune God spoke of the infallibility of His plan in Isaiah 45:18-19, where He said, “I am the Lord and there is no other…I, the Lord, speak truthfully. I say what is right.” No other plan works. No other god saves.
Only the plan set forth in the Throne Room of Heaven tells of “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth,” Revelation 13:8. Only that matchless plan can supply the Lord’s just requirement that the penalty for sin be paid with innocent blood, and the only innocent blood is the blood of Jesus.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Christians in Crisis (Memo: Typhoon)
Dear Readers,
If you ache as so many of us do for the poor people of the Philippines who are suffering desperately because of the recent typhoon, you may send contributions to the Typhoon Relief Effort at the following address.
Whether or not you are able to contribute financially to the effort, PLEASE, PLEASE continue to pray.
Thank you so much.
Christians In Crisis (Memo;Typhoon)
PO Box 293627
Sacramento, CA 95829
If you ache as so many of us do for the poor people of the Philippines who are suffering desperately because of the recent typhoon, you may send contributions to the Typhoon Relief Effort at the following address.
Whether or not you are able to contribute financially to the effort, PLEASE, PLEASE continue to pray.
Thank you so much.
Christians In Crisis (Memo;Typhoon)
PO Box 293627
Sacramento, CA 95829
Light the Path
November 11
The TRUTH is in Jesus. Jesus is the TRUTH. Anything apart from that simple assessment of the veracity of faith is contrary to TRUTH and therefore contrary to Jesus Himself. We cannot, in other words, establish our own truth. We can find TRUTH. We can lose TRUTH. We can embrace TRUTH. We can reject TRUTH.
We have no other options. In the menu of religious information that exists regarding matters of time, and more essentially matters of eternity, God has not set a smorgasbord before us. He has set absolutes before us. Oh, yes, there is a vast array of religious fallacy from which to select ones spiritual fare, but God is not responsible for misinformation.
The enemy of our souls has sought from his first encounter with man in the garden to interject error into the human perception of truth. Can we forget his words to Eve, when he tempted her to taste the forbidden fruit, "Indeed, hath God said?" (Genesis 3:1). The serpent was quite subtle; he did not call God a liar, rather, he suggested the possibility and allowed Eve to draw her own conclusion.
Man has, from that time to this, wrestled with truth, endeavored to appropriate some aspects of God's Word to himself while he has sought to pick and choose his beliefs--and often has selected tenets of faith that are not Biblical and are not TRUTH. The evil one has sown his lies within those who err. And those lies expedite their destruction—which is his intent, for he comes to “steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10.
Ephesians 4:20, 21 points out that all which is purported to be truth is not: “That is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you heard Him and were taught by Him, because the TRUTH is in Jesus.” If we stray from the Lord’s own representation of Himself, we are lost in error and need the Word to help us find our way back to Him.
May we who believe be diligent in our effort to light the path of all men everywhere to the TRUTH that is JESUS.
The TRUTH is in Jesus. Jesus is the TRUTH. Anything apart from that simple assessment of the veracity of faith is contrary to TRUTH and therefore contrary to Jesus Himself. We cannot, in other words, establish our own truth. We can find TRUTH. We can lose TRUTH. We can embrace TRUTH. We can reject TRUTH.
We have no other options. In the menu of religious information that exists regarding matters of time, and more essentially matters of eternity, God has not set a smorgasbord before us. He has set absolutes before us. Oh, yes, there is a vast array of religious fallacy from which to select ones spiritual fare, but God is not responsible for misinformation.
The enemy of our souls has sought from his first encounter with man in the garden to interject error into the human perception of truth. Can we forget his words to Eve, when he tempted her to taste the forbidden fruit, "Indeed, hath God said?" (Genesis 3:1). The serpent was quite subtle; he did not call God a liar, rather, he suggested the possibility and allowed Eve to draw her own conclusion.
Man has, from that time to this, wrestled with truth, endeavored to appropriate some aspects of God's Word to himself while he has sought to pick and choose his beliefs--and often has selected tenets of faith that are not Biblical and are not TRUTH. The evil one has sown his lies within those who err. And those lies expedite their destruction—which is his intent, for he comes to “steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10.
Ephesians 4:20, 21 points out that all which is purported to be truth is not: “That is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you heard Him and were taught by Him, because the TRUTH is in Jesus.” If we stray from the Lord’s own representation of Himself, we are lost in error and need the Word to help us find our way back to Him.
May we who believe be diligent in our effort to light the path of all men everywhere to the TRUTH that is JESUS.
Thank You, Vets
Today is Veterans' Day. May I take a moment to extend sincere appreciation to those who have invested their lives in the cause of freedom around the world...to those who have fought in great wars that men might be free and to those who have fought in the greatest conflagration the world has ever known--the war between Christ's good and the devil's evil. Thank you.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Prayer Request for the Philippines
My dear Reader,
This comes to request that you lift the victims of the terrible typhoon that has hit the Philippines to the Throne of Mercy and Grace. The devastation that has struck their land has claimed 10,000 lives and done incalculable damage.
We know that the "prince and power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) has unleashed his evil against these people, but we also know that the Lord is greater and is able to succor those who suffer. Indeed, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a standard against him," (Isaiah 59:19), and we pray the comfort that only Jesus can give at times like these will attend those who suffer.
Thank you for your compassion for your brothers in the Philippines at this time of sorrow and loss.
This comes to request that you lift the victims of the terrible typhoon that has hit the Philippines to the Throne of Mercy and Grace. The devastation that has struck their land has claimed 10,000 lives and done incalculable damage.
We know that the "prince and power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) has unleashed his evil against these people, but we also know that the Lord is greater and is able to succor those who suffer. Indeed, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a standard against him," (Isaiah 59:19), and we pray the comfort that only Jesus can give at times like these will attend those who suffer.
Thank you for your compassion for your brothers in the Philippines at this time of sorrow and loss.
Words Taught by the Spirit
November 10
I Corinthians 2:13 says, “We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit.” This makes it abundantly clear that the wisdom of God is not something that is acquired by human understanding. Of Himself, our great and mighty God tells us, “My ways are not your ways; My thoughts are not your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8. He goes on to say in the following verse that His ways and His thoughts are above those of mere men.
Therefore, the natural pursuit of knowledge does not impart spiritual wisdom to a man. Though he may be wise in the ways of the world, his ‘human wisdom’ will avail him nothing in the realm of the eternal. The insight that can promote a man’s interests in life, accrue nothing to his spiritual account.
The Bible tells us that we may see wicked men flourishing as trees planted by the side of a river (see Psalm 37:35), but his prosperity, his strength are temporary. All that he has, all that appears to be his great advantage, are nothing. They shall cease the moment he draws his final breath.
Because we were designed for eternity, there is a longing deep within us that will remain unsatisfied if all our striving is toward the end of our temporal advancement. We are created for fellowship with the Holy One and unless and until we direct our endeavors toward Him, we cannot be spiritually prosperous, nor can we be wise in the things of eternity.
If, however, we apply ourselves to the things of the Lord, we have His assurance that the One He has sent, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will teach us all things (John 14:26). It is those things taught to us by the Holy Spirit that shall illumine our eyes to see the things that matter not only in time but in eternity.
I Corinthians 2:13 says, “We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit.” This makes it abundantly clear that the wisdom of God is not something that is acquired by human understanding. Of Himself, our great and mighty God tells us, “My ways are not your ways; My thoughts are not your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8. He goes on to say in the following verse that His ways and His thoughts are above those of mere men.
Therefore, the natural pursuit of knowledge does not impart spiritual wisdom to a man. Though he may be wise in the ways of the world, his ‘human wisdom’ will avail him nothing in the realm of the eternal. The insight that can promote a man’s interests in life, accrue nothing to his spiritual account.
The Bible tells us that we may see wicked men flourishing as trees planted by the side of a river (see Psalm 37:35), but his prosperity, his strength are temporary. All that he has, all that appears to be his great advantage, are nothing. They shall cease the moment he draws his final breath.
Because we were designed for eternity, there is a longing deep within us that will remain unsatisfied if all our striving is toward the end of our temporal advancement. We are created for fellowship with the Holy One and unless and until we direct our endeavors toward Him, we cannot be spiritually prosperous, nor can we be wise in the things of eternity.
If, however, we apply ourselves to the things of the Lord, we have His assurance that the One He has sent, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will teach us all things (John 14:26). It is those things taught to us by the Holy Spirit that shall illumine our eyes to see the things that matter not only in time but in eternity.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Knowledge vs. Wisdom
November 9
Knowledge is something that is acquired through diligent application to study. Our pursuit of facts can lead us into volumes of books and internet information, and into intent observation of what is transpiring around us. We seek insight into financial, social, geo-political, and many other matters and our understanding of science, history, man's progress in myriad fields of endeavor, increases as we study.
We can become expert in a particular field of knowledge. Our astute application of facts in an area of endeavor may establish our reputation as being of great insight in matters of finance, for example, or as individuals to whom others may turn for guidance in areas of relational concern.
Our expertise can afford us great success as investors whose personal wealth increases and whose counsel affords others financial success. Our understanding of interpersonal relationships may result in our advice being sought by those who wrestle with personal problems beyond their ability to rectify.
But there is one realm where diligent study does not afford us a strong fortress of knowledge from which we may securely survey our interests. That one realm involves wisdom. Wisdom, unlike knowledge, is not acquired through study. Wisdom comes from being at the feet of Jesus and asking it of Him. Wisdom comes as we submit our minds to the mind of God; as we allow ourselves to think as He thinks, to understand as He understands.
Wisdom will often set our thinking upon a course that leads us away from the general consensus of the opinion of the world. We will not see matters of war and peace, or of poverty and wealth, or of advantage and disadvantage as they are seen by unenlightened minds. No. Our perspective, our point of view, will not be worldly; they will be godly.
It is to our great advantage, therefore, in time as well as for eternity, to allow our minds to be surrendered to His mind, to allow our hearts to beat in concert with Christ's heart, to allow our understanding to be infused with wisdom that can come only from God Himself.
In James 1:5 we are told, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally…and it will be given to him.” The Lord imparts wisdom to those who are close to Him relationally, to those who sit at His feet and allow Him to pour of Himself upon them.
Knowledge is something that is acquired through diligent application to study. Our pursuit of facts can lead us into volumes of books and internet information, and into intent observation of what is transpiring around us. We seek insight into financial, social, geo-political, and many other matters and our understanding of science, history, man's progress in myriad fields of endeavor, increases as we study.
We can become expert in a particular field of knowledge. Our astute application of facts in an area of endeavor may establish our reputation as being of great insight in matters of finance, for example, or as individuals to whom others may turn for guidance in areas of relational concern.
Our expertise can afford us great success as investors whose personal wealth increases and whose counsel affords others financial success. Our understanding of interpersonal relationships may result in our advice being sought by those who wrestle with personal problems beyond their ability to rectify.
But there is one realm where diligent study does not afford us a strong fortress of knowledge from which we may securely survey our interests. That one realm involves wisdom. Wisdom, unlike knowledge, is not acquired through study. Wisdom comes from being at the feet of Jesus and asking it of Him. Wisdom comes as we submit our minds to the mind of God; as we allow ourselves to think as He thinks, to understand as He understands.
Wisdom will often set our thinking upon a course that leads us away from the general consensus of the opinion of the world. We will not see matters of war and peace, or of poverty and wealth, or of advantage and disadvantage as they are seen by unenlightened minds. No. Our perspective, our point of view, will not be worldly; they will be godly.
It is to our great advantage, therefore, in time as well as for eternity, to allow our minds to be surrendered to His mind, to allow our hearts to beat in concert with Christ's heart, to allow our understanding to be infused with wisdom that can come only from God Himself.
In James 1:5 we are told, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally…and it will be given to him.” The Lord imparts wisdom to those who are close to Him relationally, to those who sit at His feet and allow Him to pour of Himself upon them.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Steadfast Through Trial
November 8
We shudder to think of the tribulation and misfortune that befell the apostles of Jesus. The reality of their lives was a far cry from the pleasant, pastoral paintings in our children’s story books. The idyllic pictures that portray their labor to propagate the good news of Christ just scratch the surface of reality.
We know they were misunderstood and mocked. We know they were beaten and stoned and left for dead when angry mobs wearied of their message (see II Corinthians 11:25 and Acts 14:19). Church tradition tells us that they were slain cruelly, by being skinned, boiled in oil, beheaded. Even the forces of nature were at times arrayed against them as they journeyed the known world to share the gospel (see Acts 27:9-12).
Their courage under the hostility of man and the ravages of nature reminds us that we must face the tribulations of life with the same resolve that compelled them to go forward despite adversity. We have their example of perseverance to fortify our own determination to not only witness Jesus to the lost but also to steadfastly endure in faith when the tides of fortune do not go our way. We also have the word of the Lord Himself to Paul when he was shipwrecked while endeavoring to reach Italy so he could minister there.
In Acts 27:24 Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar and God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.” As with Paul, our purpose will be achieved. He has set our course and He will enable us to attain our destination. We and those with us will reach the goal He has charted for us. We may have a dangerous journey over a tumultuous sea but He will see us to our destination as He has done for the faithful through the ages.
We shudder to think of the tribulation and misfortune that befell the apostles of Jesus. The reality of their lives was a far cry from the pleasant, pastoral paintings in our children’s story books. The idyllic pictures that portray their labor to propagate the good news of Christ just scratch the surface of reality.
We know they were misunderstood and mocked. We know they were beaten and stoned and left for dead when angry mobs wearied of their message (see II Corinthians 11:25 and Acts 14:19). Church tradition tells us that they were slain cruelly, by being skinned, boiled in oil, beheaded. Even the forces of nature were at times arrayed against them as they journeyed the known world to share the gospel (see Acts 27:9-12).
Their courage under the hostility of man and the ravages of nature reminds us that we must face the tribulations of life with the same resolve that compelled them to go forward despite adversity. We have their example of perseverance to fortify our own determination to not only witness Jesus to the lost but also to steadfastly endure in faith when the tides of fortune do not go our way. We also have the word of the Lord Himself to Paul when he was shipwrecked while endeavoring to reach Italy so he could minister there.
In Acts 27:24 Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar and God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.” As with Paul, our purpose will be achieved. He has set our course and He will enable us to attain our destination. We and those with us will reach the goal He has charted for us. We may have a dangerous journey over a tumultuous sea but He will see us to our destination as He has done for the faithful through the ages.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Fervent and Steadfast
November 7
It is important to be fervent and steadfast in prayer. The inclination of most of us is not to press forward with our requests to the Lord but to stop short of the realization of the thing for which we supplicate. How is it that we give up rather than pray through? Why do we stop short of the answer to our prayer?
There is a mindset that has infested the Christian outlook and it is not scriptural. We have become so accustomed to the quick fix mentality, to the instant gratification syndrome of the age, that we apply the world’s mindset to the Word and to the promises contained within the Bible, our Holy Book.
We have forgotten the words of the Apostle Paul in II Thessalonians 1:11 which adjure us to, “…always pray… that our God will…fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith.” We are to always pray. It doesn’t say we are to pray until we weary of waiting! God wants us to "call to" Him for every need to be met (Jeremiah 33:3) so He can answer our call with "great and mighty things" we cannot imagine.
We must recognize that the Lord has a dual purpose for our prayers—to fulfill every desire for goodness within us and our circumstances and to accomplish the work of faith by showing us great and mighty things. As we pray, as we wait upon Him, we are perfected in the inner man and we are equipped to further His purposes in our lives and in the lives of those around us--and Jesus is glorified!
It is important to be fervent and steadfast in prayer. The inclination of most of us is not to press forward with our requests to the Lord but to stop short of the realization of the thing for which we supplicate. How is it that we give up rather than pray through? Why do we stop short of the answer to our prayer?
There is a mindset that has infested the Christian outlook and it is not scriptural. We have become so accustomed to the quick fix mentality, to the instant gratification syndrome of the age, that we apply the world’s mindset to the Word and to the promises contained within the Bible, our Holy Book.
We have forgotten the words of the Apostle Paul in II Thessalonians 1:11 which adjure us to, “…always pray… that our God will…fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith.” We are to always pray. It doesn’t say we are to pray until we weary of waiting! God wants us to "call to" Him for every need to be met (Jeremiah 33:3) so He can answer our call with "great and mighty things" we cannot imagine.
We must recognize that the Lord has a dual purpose for our prayers—to fulfill every desire for goodness within us and our circumstances and to accomplish the work of faith by showing us great and mighty things. As we pray, as we wait upon Him, we are perfected in the inner man and we are equipped to further His purposes in our lives and in the lives of those around us--and Jesus is glorified!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Silver and Gold Have I None
November 6
How can we be sure the words of the Bible are true for us today? How can we know the Lord didn’t mean the gifts and promises for just the early church? Some theorize that the extraordinary evidence of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the first believers was necessary to ‘jump start’ the church.
They further believe that such means are no longer necessary because we have the entirety of the Bible—and that is all we need for effective Christian living. One major fallacy to that argument is the question that springs logically from it: How can having the Bible be enough if part of it isn’t true any longer?
I Corinthians 13:8-10 says, “Where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect comes, that which is in part shall vanish away.”
Has love vanished away? Has truth vanished away? Has faith vanished away? Do we discount the prophecies of His second coming? Have we cast away knowledge? No, it seems people of faith have simply found a convenient argument to rationalize their own lack of power! We can no longer say as did Peter in Acts 3:6 when he encountered the lame beggar at the Temple, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,” so we argue the gifts of the Spirit away!
If we lack the faith or the power or the will to employ them, nobody should! But this doesn’t seem to be what God had in mind in Deuteronomy 7:9 where Moses said of Him, “God keeps His gracious covenant loyally for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands. For a thousand generations? Indeed, this seems to affirm that His Word—all of it—shall stand forever!
How can we be sure the words of the Bible are true for us today? How can we know the Lord didn’t mean the gifts and promises for just the early church? Some theorize that the extraordinary evidence of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the first believers was necessary to ‘jump start’ the church.
They further believe that such means are no longer necessary because we have the entirety of the Bible—and that is all we need for effective Christian living. One major fallacy to that argument is the question that springs logically from it: How can having the Bible be enough if part of it isn’t true any longer?
I Corinthians 13:8-10 says, “Where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect comes, that which is in part shall vanish away.”
Has love vanished away? Has truth vanished away? Has faith vanished away? Do we discount the prophecies of His second coming? Have we cast away knowledge? No, it seems people of faith have simply found a convenient argument to rationalize their own lack of power! We can no longer say as did Peter in Acts 3:6 when he encountered the lame beggar at the Temple, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,” so we argue the gifts of the Spirit away!
If we lack the faith or the power or the will to employ them, nobody should! But this doesn’t seem to be what God had in mind in Deuteronomy 7:9 where Moses said of Him, “God keeps His gracious covenant loyally for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands. For a thousand generations? Indeed, this seems to affirm that His Word—all of it—shall stand forever!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Speak The Truth In Love
November 5
What made Jesus so effective as a healer and a preacher in His day? Why did throngs of people follow Him into the desert and to the seashore? Why did they abandon their daily routines in order to hear this itinerant preacher proclaim the Word of God in a new way?
There are the standard reasons given for His amazing influence over the people who heard Him, and there is great veracity to each of them. Yes, people flocked to hear Jesus because there was little in the way of diversion available to them and He provided an extraordinary one.
Yes, miraculous events occurred wherever He went and this was a tremendous blessing—blind eyes were opened, lame legs could walk, deaf ears could hear, broken lives were made new in whatever way the need required. In an age when medical and financial resources were negligible, Jesus offered free solutions to life’s most challenging problems.
But it was more than any one of these reasons or the sum of all of them that compelled people to turn to Jesus and to follow Him. It is the same reason Paul tells us will compel the unbelievers of our day to turn to the Lord. In Ephesians 4:15 he says, “Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way to be like Christ Jesus.” The truth in love—mighty then; mighty now—just like Jesus.
What made Jesus so effective as a healer and a preacher in His day? Why did throngs of people follow Him into the desert and to the seashore? Why did they abandon their daily routines in order to hear this itinerant preacher proclaim the Word of God in a new way?
There are the standard reasons given for His amazing influence over the people who heard Him, and there is great veracity to each of them. Yes, people flocked to hear Jesus because there was little in the way of diversion available to them and He provided an extraordinary one.
Yes, miraculous events occurred wherever He went and this was a tremendous blessing—blind eyes were opened, lame legs could walk, deaf ears could hear, broken lives were made new in whatever way the need required. In an age when medical and financial resources were negligible, Jesus offered free solutions to life’s most challenging problems.
But it was more than any one of these reasons or the sum of all of them that compelled people to turn to Jesus and to follow Him. It is the same reason Paul tells us will compel the unbelievers of our day to turn to the Lord. In Ephesians 4:15 he says, “Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way to be like Christ Jesus.” The truth in love—mighty then; mighty now—just like Jesus.
Monday, November 4, 2013
The Weight
November 4
False accusations. There’s hardly a person alive who has not at some point in life borne the weight of being, if not falsely accused, at least misunderstood. Many have spent time incarcerated due to the misinterpretation of evidence that resulted in prison sentences. Jesus was sentenced to death on trumped up charges.
The weight of being ill perceived due to erroneous argumentation that affirmed guilt is a heavy burden. It is perhaps heavier than the weight of bearing actual guilt. When our actions are misrepresented, or our motives are misunderstood, we are perplexed—it caused the Lord to cry out to the Father, “Why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34).
Paul knew what it was like to be misunderstood. He had spent a lifetime building a reputation within the Hebrew religion. He was, by his own account, “a Hebrew of the Hebrews…a Pharisee…” Philippians 3:5, but by verse 8, Paul had concluded that all he’d accomplished in his own strength was, “…but dung.” So when in Acts 19:26, it was said of him, “This man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods,” the apostle was able to stand against the lie!
Paul was able to continue to proclaim Jesus boldly. Though he stood before judges who misunderstood and maligned him, he remained faithful. Though he faced hardship and imprisonment and torture and ultimately death for doing so, he would not be silent! Like him, may we not be intimidated by erroneous perceptions of ourselves or our motives. Though our faith may be maligned, our motives distorted, may we be emboldened by the truth we bear to steadfastly declare it to the lost—no matter what the cost!
False accusations. There’s hardly a person alive who has not at some point in life borne the weight of being, if not falsely accused, at least misunderstood. Many have spent time incarcerated due to the misinterpretation of evidence that resulted in prison sentences. Jesus was sentenced to death on trumped up charges.
The weight of being ill perceived due to erroneous argumentation that affirmed guilt is a heavy burden. It is perhaps heavier than the weight of bearing actual guilt. When our actions are misrepresented, or our motives are misunderstood, we are perplexed—it caused the Lord to cry out to the Father, “Why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34).
Paul knew what it was like to be misunderstood. He had spent a lifetime building a reputation within the Hebrew religion. He was, by his own account, “a Hebrew of the Hebrews…a Pharisee…” Philippians 3:5, but by verse 8, Paul had concluded that all he’d accomplished in his own strength was, “…but dung.” So when in Acts 19:26, it was said of him, “This man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods,” the apostle was able to stand against the lie!
Paul was able to continue to proclaim Jesus boldly. Though he stood before judges who misunderstood and maligned him, he remained faithful. Though he faced hardship and imprisonment and torture and ultimately death for doing so, he would not be silent! Like him, may we not be intimidated by erroneous perceptions of ourselves or our motives. Though our faith may be maligned, our motives distorted, may we be emboldened by the truth we bear to steadfastly declare it to the lost—no matter what the cost!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
I Know Whom I Have Believed
November 3
Another bout with another problem. Financial woes. Relational difficulties. Illness. These things precipitate a sense of powerlessness which often results in a sense of hopelessness and despair. They sometimes cause faithlessness where the believer knows he should have faith.
The cycle seems endless. The enemy proverbially, ‘’comes in like a flood,’’ and the Lord, ‘‘raises up a standard against him’’ Isaiah 59:19, according to His promise. The believer has experienced the faithfulness of God many times, through many circumstances, but he is weary.
The evil one plays upon his understanding of the human propensity to become exhausted under the pressure of trial—and he understands that if he can simply remind a believer of how many battles he’s already fought, he can wear him down to the point of rendering him unfit for the current battle!
Jesus understands our frame far better than His old nemesis the devil, for He has Himself walked in a tabernacle of flesh. He knows what it’s like to be weary—without bending. Jesus knows what it’s like to be tempted—without succumbing. Because He’s borne our grief and sorrow, He can succor us when we are bowed under the weight of all that besets us.
In I Peter 2:21, the apostle reminds us that, “You were called to this because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so you should follow in His steps.” Peter couldn’t overcome his problems alone. He needed Jesus to attain victory.
The Lord knows you can’t gain mastery alone over your many battles either. As He helped Peter, Jesus will help you—no matter what you face. Hold fast, Believer, to the assurance given in Galatians 6:9, "Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap if you do not faint."
Always remember that His character and His honor are intrinsic within His promises. You may therefore say like the Apostle Paul in the throes of his suffering, "I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him," II Timothy 1:12.
Another bout with another problem. Financial woes. Relational difficulties. Illness. These things precipitate a sense of powerlessness which often results in a sense of hopelessness and despair. They sometimes cause faithlessness where the believer knows he should have faith.
The cycle seems endless. The enemy proverbially, ‘’comes in like a flood,’’ and the Lord, ‘‘raises up a standard against him’’ Isaiah 59:19, according to His promise. The believer has experienced the faithfulness of God many times, through many circumstances, but he is weary.
The evil one plays upon his understanding of the human propensity to become exhausted under the pressure of trial—and he understands that if he can simply remind a believer of how many battles he’s already fought, he can wear him down to the point of rendering him unfit for the current battle!
Jesus understands our frame far better than His old nemesis the devil, for He has Himself walked in a tabernacle of flesh. He knows what it’s like to be weary—without bending. Jesus knows what it’s like to be tempted—without succumbing. Because He’s borne our grief and sorrow, He can succor us when we are bowed under the weight of all that besets us.
In I Peter 2:21, the apostle reminds us that, “You were called to this because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so you should follow in His steps.” Peter couldn’t overcome his problems alone. He needed Jesus to attain victory.
The Lord knows you can’t gain mastery alone over your many battles either. As He helped Peter, Jesus will help you—no matter what you face. Hold fast, Believer, to the assurance given in Galatians 6:9, "Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap if you do not faint."
Always remember that His character and His honor are intrinsic within His promises. You may therefore say like the Apostle Paul in the throes of his suffering, "I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him," II Timothy 1:12.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Be Ready
November 2
From sports events to financial investments, everyone likes to be a winner and to associate with winners. When it comes to that uniquely American sport, football, a tried and true fan can reiterate the statistics that have been pertinent to his team for the last several decades. In the realm of finance, markets are closely watched. Perhaps you are one of those who maintains the statistics of the sport that interests you most.
In the religious arena, there are many more ‘teams’ playing in the league in the United States of America than there were when our founding fathers declared that there was to be religious freedom for all. They didn’t have any idea of the influx of ideas that would come into the country with the passage of time.
They couldn’t have imagined that there would be other religions besides Judaism and the various denominations of Christianity that exist here in our day. Yet, the Lord has always known, for He "knows the end from the beginning," Isaiah 46:10, and He is never intimidated when His ancient enemy seems to be making inroads into territory that is rightfully His.
Jesus doesn’t want us to be intimidated either. In I Corinthians 15:58, Paul said to the believers of his day and penned for all who would follow them, “My dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We may stand on the assurance that though governments, financial institutions, football teams may rise and fall, Jesus stands triumphantly as eternity’s Victor!
Because you believe in Him and have placed your life in His hands for time and eternity, you, too, are, eternally victorious over death, hell, and the grave (I Corinthians 15:57). In fact, Paul asks, "What shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For Thy sake, we are killed all the day long, but in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us and gave Himself for us," Romans 8:35-39.
Don't be deceived by the myriad 'teams' that have entered the playing field. Don't be deceived when the wicked one appears to be on the ascendancy for a time. No! Stand fast in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2); know beyond a shadow of doubting that your "Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25) and that HE shall stand at that later day upon the earth." Jesus is coming back "at an hour when you think not," (Luke 12:40).
If you're keeping statistics, you know it's true. Be ready.
From sports events to financial investments, everyone likes to be a winner and to associate with winners. When it comes to that uniquely American sport, football, a tried and true fan can reiterate the statistics that have been pertinent to his team for the last several decades. In the realm of finance, markets are closely watched. Perhaps you are one of those who maintains the statistics of the sport that interests you most.
In the religious arena, there are many more ‘teams’ playing in the league in the United States of America than there were when our founding fathers declared that there was to be religious freedom for all. They didn’t have any idea of the influx of ideas that would come into the country with the passage of time.
They couldn’t have imagined that there would be other religions besides Judaism and the various denominations of Christianity that exist here in our day. Yet, the Lord has always known, for He "knows the end from the beginning," Isaiah 46:10, and He is never intimidated when His ancient enemy seems to be making inroads into territory that is rightfully His.
Jesus doesn’t want us to be intimidated either. In I Corinthians 15:58, Paul said to the believers of his day and penned for all who would follow them, “My dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We may stand on the assurance that though governments, financial institutions, football teams may rise and fall, Jesus stands triumphantly as eternity’s Victor!
Because you believe in Him and have placed your life in His hands for time and eternity, you, too, are, eternally victorious over death, hell, and the grave (I Corinthians 15:57). In fact, Paul asks, "What shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For Thy sake, we are killed all the day long, but in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us and gave Himself for us," Romans 8:35-39.
Don't be deceived by the myriad 'teams' that have entered the playing field. Don't be deceived when the wicked one appears to be on the ascendancy for a time. No! Stand fast in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2); know beyond a shadow of doubting that your "Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25) and that HE shall stand at that later day upon the earth." Jesus is coming back "at an hour when you think not," (Luke 12:40).
If you're keeping statistics, you know it's true. Be ready.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Employ the Faith; Appropriate the Power!
November 1
We tend to get wrapped around the axle rather easily. It doesn’t take too much provocation to render us fearful and anxiety ridden. One would think that the longer we have walked with the Lord, the less inclined we would be to allow these negative emotions to have sway over us, but many of us do.
Our ‘common sense,’ that natural attribute that requires us to ponder things from a logical perspective, declares that our fears are unfounded, for we are people of faith and power in Christ. Our common sense dictates that we turn our negative thoughts over to Jesus and allow Him to fill our minds with peace.
Our Lord Himself asked in Luke 24:38, 39, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your heart?” These words were spoken by Jesus to His disciples after His crucifixion and resurrection. They were spoken when He came to them after dying before their eyes and then returning to them.
He went on to give them the solution to their doubts and fears. It is the solution to the doubts and fears we face as well. We, too, must: “…Look at My hands and My feet.” Jesus is here making it very clear that He bore these wounds to deliver His people from all that besets us—disease, doubt, sin, death.
Our part is to look to Him, to the Giver of all gifts, to the Giver of that "unspeakable Gift," II Corinthians 9:15, and to receive the power that He has given to us (John 14:12) to use for the pulling down of strongholds and the lifting up of His holy name throughout the earth. Our anxiety will be gone when we have employed the faith to appropriate the power He says is ours against our foe.
We tend to get wrapped around the axle rather easily. It doesn’t take too much provocation to render us fearful and anxiety ridden. One would think that the longer we have walked with the Lord, the less inclined we would be to allow these negative emotions to have sway over us, but many of us do.
Our ‘common sense,’ that natural attribute that requires us to ponder things from a logical perspective, declares that our fears are unfounded, for we are people of faith and power in Christ. Our common sense dictates that we turn our negative thoughts over to Jesus and allow Him to fill our minds with peace.
Our Lord Himself asked in Luke 24:38, 39, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your heart?” These words were spoken by Jesus to His disciples after His crucifixion and resurrection. They were spoken when He came to them after dying before their eyes and then returning to them.
He went on to give them the solution to their doubts and fears. It is the solution to the doubts and fears we face as well. We, too, must: “…Look at My hands and My feet.” Jesus is here making it very clear that He bore these wounds to deliver His people from all that besets us—disease, doubt, sin, death.
Our part is to look to Him, to the Giver of all gifts, to the Giver of that "unspeakable Gift," II Corinthians 9:15, and to receive the power that He has given to us (John 14:12) to use for the pulling down of strongholds and the lifting up of His holy name throughout the earth. Our anxiety will be gone when we have employed the faith to appropriate the power He says is ours against our foe.
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